Dividing strip



My 28, 1929. P GALASSI 1,715,193

I DIVIDING STRIP Filed Aug. 5, 1928 7a-@g WM' Patented May 28, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in ATE PASQUALE GALASSI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DIVIDING STRIP.

Application sied August s, 192s; serialno; 297,206.

OFFICE'.

body portions 'isolated in order to produce 55 40 structure.

means for laying and constructing terrazzo and similar floors, and more particularly refers to dividing strips such are used for defining and separating the various panelled sections of which a terrazzo floor is composed.v

Strips of this character have heretofore been made in one piece of the proper width and thickness according to requirements, said 1o strips being generally provided With anchoring and positioning means formed by isolating portions of thematerial and by bending said isolated portions laterally of the strip.

` These strips are generally made of brass or other suitable metal and are used in various is actually only needed at the top where it shows through the floor. It is common practice, on the other hand, to use metal pf uniform gauge all through, and this is likely to considerably increase the cost of the floor, es-

pecially when brass is used.

At times strips have been rolled in special shapes comprising a relatively wide head portion and a relatively thin body portion, but these special shapes are bound to ybe more eX- .",o pensive than standard materials of the same weight.

Furthermore, as a general rule it is desirable to-use brass only at the top of the strip and to use a less expensive material for the body thereof even when light gauge strips are concerned, for the resulting saving in the cost of material is sufficient to profitably compensate the increased laborcosts entailed by the joining of the two portions into a single The advantage thus resulting is, of course, greater in' the case of strips having a relativel7 wide section'at the top, as will be understoo In another lapplication entitled Composite flooring strips, Ser. No. 252,323, I have described and claimed abimetallic strip of special construction in which the Autppe'r and lower sections of the strip are joine together by means of transversely and longitudinally v interlocking male and female joints.

In the said application, 'I also have de- .scribed constructions whereb the anchoring and positioning means may e roduced directly by bending laterally of e strip the part or all of the notches forming part of the interlocking joints; furthermore I have mentioned amongl others the possibility of se# cu'rely joining the two strips, either by making the tenons of one portion of the strip lit very tightly within the notches of the other seciorl, or y welding or riveting operations or ot In still another application, entitled In- May 16, 1928, I have described and claimed improvements in'strips of the type referred to in my application, Ser. No. 252,323, whereby the two sections of which the strip is composed are securely locked a ainst relative lat- 7 eral movement by means o a simple arrangemnt which does not materially increase the cost of the product. f v The present invention is also directed to improvements in bimetallic strips and its pri- 7l mary object is to provide a dividing strip com? posed of two sections interlocking with each other by means of vmale and female joints which are transversely instead of longitudinally directed, as is the case in the strips form- 80,

ing the subject of the two copending applications above referred to.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved arrangement of bimetallic strips composed of two'interlock- 85 ing sections, whereby the operation of joining the two sections together is simplified" as compared with the structures described in my twov copendin applications above referred to.

A furthero ject ofthe invention'is to pro,- 90

vide a dividing strip for terrazzo or similar floors composed of two interlockn sections, which are adapted to be produced v readily available methods and means of manufacture.

and the production of which may be standardscriptionproceeds and will beset forthand claimed in the ap ended claims..

Various embodpiments of-my invention are illustrated in the accompanying in which away and sectioned of a invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view in perspective of Fig. 1 is a view in perspective partly broken 105 strip embodying my a similar strip in somewhat modified form; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view in elevation of the same;

Figs. 4, 5, 6, are cross sectional views in ele- 5. vation of three strips having the upper section of different widths, illustrating the ossibility of standardizing the production o the lower section;

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view in elevation lo of a strip of the type shown in Fig. 1 where the upper section is made of bent and formed sheet metal Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a modified form of strip also made entirely of sheet metal;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view in elevation of the same;

Fig. 10 is a cross sectional view in elevation of the same in a somewhat modified form; and

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view in elevation of another strip embodying my invention where a different construction of lower section is used.

The strip illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a lower section 20, which is made of sheet metal and an upper section 21 whichis .made of bar stock rolled or drawn to shape.

Said upper section comprises a body ortion 22 having a substantially uniform width from the upper edge 23 down to a oint 24, at a relatively short distance from t e base 25. Said base is wider than the body and is joined to the sides thereof by two inclinedy surfaces 26, 27 forming a dove tailed male tenon shaped base.

' The lower section 2O is made out of a strip of sheet metal, and is made by first slittin the same downwardly at spaced intervals rom its upper edge a distance sufficient to isolate portions thereof, adapted to form retaining members such as 27 connecting the lower to the upper section.

Said retaining members are obtained by first alternatively bending to one side and then to the other of the body 28 of the lower section, the portions isolated by the slitting operation mentioned, turning their outer edges upwardly.

The distance between the inner surfaces of these upwardly turned edges in a transversal direction is to correspond to the width of the base 25 so that the upper section of the strip can be placed directl on top of the laterally bent lugs or ears o tained from the lower section, its side edges bein embraced by the channel portion formed y the upwardly turned edges of said lugs, said channel portion being formed by spaced elements on one side in staggered relation with spaced elements on the other side.

After the upper section has thus been placed in position the u wardly bent rtions of the ears or lugs are orced inwar y and a ainst 65 the inclined sides 26, 27 of the base of t e upears or lugs l34.

of which the strip is composed from coming apart.

At the same time, said joint is such as to effectively prevent any relative lateral d isplacements of the two sections of the strlp.

The elements of which the strip is composed are preferably so proportioned that the Adistance between the upper edge 23 of the upper section and the lower surface 29 of the retaining members 27, corresponds to the thickness of the upper or finishing layer of a terrazzo floor.

Said lower surfaces 29 will therefore constitute positioning means for the strip determining thedistance at which the lower section of the strip is to be placed through the lower layer or floor bed and will alsoinsure the vertical alignment of the strip by resting on top of said lower layer.

Furthermore, the outwardly inclined portions of the strip along the joining line will provide eiiicient anchoring means binding the strip to the material of which the upper or finishing layer of the floor is composed, after the same is set, positively preventing the strip from becoming loose and from projecting above the level of the ioor.

lShould it be desirable to provide a larger supporting surface in order to increase both the positioning and anchoring properties of the strip, some of the lugs or ears isolated by slitting the upper edge of the lower section lat spaced intervals may be bent laterally of the body of said section in their entirety without bending upwardly their outer edges.

If this method of production is followed, the strip shown in Figs. 2 and 3 will result, in which the upper section 30 which like in the previous case is formed with a dove4 tailed male tenon shaped base 31 is joined to the lower section 32 by means of retaining members 33, produced in the same manner as pre-- viously described.

However, only one out of'every two of the portions isolated by the slitting operation is bent to form retaining members 33, said retaining members being like in the previous case, alternately formed at one side of astrip then at the other; so that the retaining members at the same side of the strip will be formed from one out of every four of the portions isolated by the slitting operation, another on'e of said portions going to form one of the retaining members at the opposite side.

This leaves two such isolated portions out lll of every' four, and these two are bent laterally `of the body 32 ofthe section, one at one side and the other at .the opposite side to form laterally extendi gsubstantially horizontal ilSaid ears or lugs 34 extend laterally ofthe body of the strip a greater distance than the lower surface 35 of the retaining members 33 and therefore their supporting and positioning action as well as their anchoring action are more effective.

The resulting structure as applied in the construction of a door is shown in` Fig. 3 where 36 is the upper or finishing layer ofthe floor, 37 is the lower layer or bed, and 38 is the floor foundation.

Either one of the two constructions described may be applied in connection with upper sections of different widths Without necessitating changes in the lower section. This can be obtained by modifying only the width of the body proper of the upper section according to requirements, maintaining constant the dimensions of the dove tailed base.

Such a possibility is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, where 39 designates a relativel narrow upper section, 40, a relatively wi e up- .per section, and 41 another one which is still wider. All of the said upper sections are formed of bar stock rolled or drawn to shape and have bases 39', 40', 41 having corresponding sections; so that the same lower sections 42 may be used to complete the structure.

By thus modifying the outline of the upper section it is possible to standardize the construction of the lower section and to reduce its cost of manufacture accordingl A relatively wide upper section may also e obtained by a double thickness of sheet metal of the proper gauge.

In Fig. 7, I illustrate an arrangement in lwhich the lower section 43 is practically the same as that described in connection with Fig. 1 and in which the upper section consists of a metal strip bent along two lower edges 44, 45 equidistant from the center of the strip and spaced from each other a distance equivalent to the width of the base.

The two legs of the U section thus obtained` areturned inwardly at the base to form the inclined sides 46, 47, of the dove tailed tenon and the balance of said legs are caused to abut against each other projecting vertically from said base. The upper edge 48 ofthe resulting structure will have a width equivalent to twice the thickness of the stock used, soV that the width of said edge may be varied merely by using a strip of a different gauge.

An upper section made out of a single thickness of sheet metalmay also be produced by resortin to the construction shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. In the same the lower section 49 is constructed in the manner described in connection with the structure of Fig. 1 and comprises a body portion 50 and spaced retaining members 51 at each side thereof, the retaining members at one side being staggered in relation to those on the opposite side.

The upper section comprises a sheet-metal strip 52 which is slit upwardly from 'its lower edge at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the slits produced in the lower section, said slits extending a sufficient dis-l tance to isolate lugs such as 53 lwhich may be turned outwardly in an inclined dirgction, first at one side then at the other in alternate succession as sho'wn. l

The upper section is then inserted over the lower section with its lugs 53 projecting at one side registering with the retaining members 51 extending from the lower section at the corresponding side, and the upwardly projecting sides of the retaining members are then bent inwardly to meet the inclined surfaces of lugs 53 forming an interlocking male and femalel joint therewith, composed of spaced elements extending in staggered relation onboth sides of the strip as shown.

The connection thus obtained between the two sections may be further strengthened if lugs 53 are bentlaterallyat 90 to the body of the upper section 54 as shown at 55 in Fig. 10. In this case, the upwardly turned edges of the retaining members 56 may be -forced inwardly to a horizontal position overlapping lugs 55, as shown at 57, producing a more secure and positive joint, and furthermore producing supporting surfaces which extend laterally of the strip a greater distance than those produced by the construction of Figs. 8 and 9. b

In Fig. 11, I illustrate the possibility of making the lower section by folding a relatively wide stripalong its central longitudinal line to form a lower folding edge 58, and a body formed of two thicknesses of metal 59, 60., which are spread apart at the top, to form a female dove tailed joint member 61 ada ted to interlock with 'the male tenon shaft base 62 ofthe upper section 63.

When this construction of lower section is adopted, it is advisable'to connect the two thicknesses 59, 60, so as to produce a rigid structure and this can be done by riveting or in any other suitable manner, for instance by punching prongs 64 out of the body of said lower section, said prongs being caused to project laterally at spaced intervals alternately at one and the other side.`

By the constructions described, the joining of the two sections of the strip is a comparatively simple operation which. may be rapidly and cheaply performed. The joints obtained are positive and eiicient, and the rigidity of the stri is increased. Furthermore, the strip also a ords the` possibility of using two metals for its manufacture, its upper section lbeing made of brass or other metal selected .for its wearlng qualitles and appearance and the lower section being made of steel or other metal selected on the basis of its strength and relatively low cost.

The various constructions illustrated are intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limiting sense, because their details may vary from those shown without departing from the inventive idea. I accordlngly reserve myself the right to carry my inventioninto practicein all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.'

I claim 1. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lowerlongitudinal section, interlocking with each other along their inner edges, said edges being formed with transversely interextending male and female joint members, preventing relative lateral displacement of said two sections.

2. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking with each other along their inner edges, one of said edges having outwardly extending portions forming a male tenon therewith, and the other edge having portions embracing said tenon, forming a male and'female joint therewith.

3. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal sect-ion, interlocking with each 'other along their inner edges, one of said edges having outwardly inclined side surfaces forming a dovetailed male tenon therewith, and the other edge having portions embracing said tenon, forming a dovetailed male and female joint therewith.

4. A ioor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking --with each other along their inner edges, one of said edges having outwardly extending portions, and the other edge being slit at spaced intervals to form a series of adjoining lugs, part of said lugs being .bent laterally of the strip .and about said outwardly extending portions at one side, and part being bent laterally and about said outwardly extending portions at the other side.

5. A Hoor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking with each other along their inner edges, one of said edges havi outwardly extending portions, and the ot er edge being slit at spaced intervals to form a serles of adjoining lugs, part of said lugs being bent laterally of the strip and about said outwardly extending portions at one side, part being bent laterally and about said outwardly extending portions at the other side, and part being bent laterally of Ehe strip to form positioning means there- 6. A Hoor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking with `each other along their inner edges, one of said edges and about said tenonat the other Side, formi i ing a dovetailed male and female joint therewith.

7. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal sect-ion, interlockingI with each other along their inner edges, one of said edges having outwardly inclined side surfaces forming a dovetailed male tenon therewith, and the other edge being slit at spaced intervals to form a series of adjoining lugs, part of said lugs being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at one side thereof, and part being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at the other side, forming a dovetailed male and female joint therewith, the remaining lugs being bent laterally of the strip to form positioning means therefor.

8. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking with each other along their inner edges, the upper section consisting of a solid bar the inner edge of which has outwardly inclined side surfaces forming a dovetailed male tenon, and the lower section having its inner edge slit at spaced intervals to form a series of adjoining lugs, part of said lugs being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at one side thereof, and part being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at the other side, forming a dovetailed male and female joint therewith.

9. A floor strip of the character described, comprising an upper and a lower longitudinal section, interlocking with eac-h other along their inner edges, the upper section consisting of a solid bar the inneredge of which has outwardly inclined side surfaces forming a dovetailed male tenon, and the lower section having its inner edge slit at spaced intervals to form a series of adjoin- 'ing lugs, part of said lugs being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at one side thereof, and part being bent laterally of the strip and about said tenon at the other side, forming a dovetailed male and female joint therewith, the remaining lugs being bent laterally of the strip to form positioning means therefor.

PASQUALE GALAssi. 

